Chapter 3
Chapter 3 Disclaimer: I don’t own anything familiar to Marvel.
Standing at the director’s office, Daisy leaned against the doorframe and knocked on it to gather Mack’s attention.
Looking up from the file that previously held his attention, he smiled at her. “Hey, come on in.” Making one last note, he closed the file.
Claiming a seat on the opposite side of the desk, Daisy waited for him to finish before speaking. When he gave her his attention, she cleared her throat. “Mike and Ace are settled,” she said.
“Any issues?”
“Only when I asked Ace to help out with Robin,” she sighed before a smile crept up on her face. “I can’t believe I forgot how cool kids tried to act when they were that age.” After all the kids she’d been around…
“Not everyone had to pretend to be cool,” Mack replied. “Just look at me.”
“Oh, you mean because you’re the super cool agent turned director?” She asked with a teasing lilt to her tone.
“I’ve always been super cool,” he shot back, his voice taking on the same tone.
“Oh, my bad. Forgive me for thinking otherwise, Mack Hammer.” She pursed her lips in amusement when he had the grace to blush. “You know, I didn’t have the time that day to truly appreciate it, but it never gets old. Just the thought of you in a pair of parachute pants getting down to-”
“You’re never gonna let that go, are you?”
“Nope,” she said, popping the ‘p.’ She began humming the tune ‘Can’t Touch This,’ all the while watching as Mack shook his head, refusing to meet her gaze.
“You can stop anytime now,” he pointed out, wearing a small smile around his lips to soften words.
She stopped humming immediately. “I know, I know. I can’t touch this,” she snarked back, giggling when he threw his head back and groaned in annoyance. Her amusement faded slightly. “In all seriousness though, how did the meeting go after I left?”
“They told us their side of the story, starting a couple years ago with the Sokovia Accords.”
She nodded, thinking back to that period in her life. At the time, they were focusing on Hive, before her downward spiral because of his mind control. They’d been so busy between dealing with the changing Inhumans and the ATCU, but the fracture amongst the Avengers had been prime news. “So, it’s true then?” She asked. “They really did part ways?”
He nodded. “Stayed that way up through Thanos’ arrival.”
“Yeah, well, there’s nothing like fighting an evil titan to put things in perspective,” she shot back.
“Aside from the Wakandans that survived the snap, they have two associates back at Stark Tower that could prove to be very helpful with the ship. They plan on leaving tomorrow to retrieve them.”
Why hadn’t they just brought these people in the first place? Daisy frowned. If they were all supposed to be working as one team, wouldn’t it have made sense for them to join the Avengers on this trip?
Easily discerning the confusion on her face, Mack decided to answer her unspoken question. “One of them is a talking racoon and the other has a robotic appearance, neither would blend into the world.”
“Another robot?” She asked, thinking back on Ada.
“Robotic appearance,” he clarified. “She is actually one of Thanos’ children that’s been attempting to take him down for months. When they were growing up, he pitted them against each other and every time she lost at something, he replaced a body part with a robotic one.” Daisy had begun frowning as soon as he mentioned the fact that Thanos pitted his children against each other.
Poor thing… “Wait, is that even physiologically possible?”
“Must be,” he shrugged. “You know how America is a baby compared to the rest of the countries?” He asked, waiting for her to acknowledge his question. “Well, that is mankind compared to the rest of the civilizations in the universe. Anyway, because they can’t go out in the general public, Thor is pretty sure that they’ll jump at the chance to get away from the city and into a…form of seclusion where they can freely move around.”
“Okay…”
“There’s a chance they’ll be on the ship when we retrieve Fitz. Or, at least, that’s the plan as of today.” He paused, giving her an opportunity to ask questions before he continued on. “They spoke about their separate fights against Thanos.” He went on to repeat the story that the Avengers had told the remaining members of the room.
“How awful,” Daisy said as Mack finished his story. “Honestly, Mack, how do we come back from something like this?”
He shook his head in negative. “Do you remember when Jemma was transported through the monolith?”
She nodded. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget that time.”
“Do you remember Fitz mentioning the Quantam Realm?”
“I do,” she said, “but…” Daisy shook her head in negative. He’d tried to explain it to her, but she didn’t understand everything he’d said. “I also remember reading Peggy Carter’s notes about it, but again, a lot of it went over my head. Is that their big plan?”
“It was mentioned, but nothing concrete. Until we get Fitz back, I think it’ll stay that way.”
She shook her head. “We’d be better off joining forces, pooling our resources and creating a time machine.” Time machine or Quantam Realm, either way they’d have their work cut out for them.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
True to her word, that night Daisy took Robin and Ace top-side for s’mores. However, what started out being planned for just the three of them quickly grew to include agents as well as the Avengers, having taken Mack up on his offer to stay the night. Extra fixings were added as well as alcohol and it was large group that settled around the fire she’d started. When Clint began bragging about being the best s’more maker, he started giving the youngest occupants of the base a lesson. Looking around the area, Daisy noticed the way new groups had formed among the Avengers and SHIELD agents, and quickly realized then that Steve was missing. Her eyes traveled around the surrounding area, falling on the porch of the lighthouse and she noticed a dark shadow. Figuring it was Steve and knowing that she wouldn’t be missed for the next several minutes, she decided to join him. Grabbing two sodas, she made her way in his direction.
“Here you go,” she said as she settled down next to him.
He nodded in appreciation and opened it. “Thanks,” he said after swallowing a big gulp. “So…super soldier serum…” he trailed off.
“Yup,” she said, enhancing the ‘p’ sound. “From what I understand, scientists have been trying to recreate it since you. The uh…the Centipede program is the closest they’ve come to perfecting it.”
“The version you were able to get your hands on…had it ever been used before?”
“Once, it was a SHIELD agent, John Garret, that ended up being Hydra. Come to find out, he ended up being the face behind the Clairvoyant I mentioned earlier.”
“And the DNA from the Inhuman you mentioned?”
“Was part of it,” she said. “It was my mother.”
Her words were soft, but he heard them easily. “I’m sorry,” he offered.
“By the time I met her she was…different, broken. During the war, after you crashed your plane, Hydra discovered the existence of Inhumans. She was found by a Hydra agent and she and her people were taken. Luckily, before she was harmed, she was saved by Peggy Carter and the Howling Commandos.”
Peggy. He felt the familiar ache of loss, something he usually experienced every time he thought about his previous life and friends. “Small world,” he remarked.
She nodded in agreement but didn’t comment on it. “He was arrested and placed in prison, spent forty-seven years there. Hydra busted him out and he picked back up where he left off. A year after I was born, he discovered my mother was still alive and hadn’t aged…” She sighed. “Needless to say, she wasn’t so lucky that time around.” Instead of going into specifics, she cleared her throat. “He used her DNA and created a serum that he used on himself, starting a new life as Daniel Whitehall. Cut to a few years ago, my SO ended up being Hydra, Garrett had been his SO. But before that was revealed we’d grown…close and even though I wiped my hands of him, his feelings for me hadn’t changed. He ended up kidnapping me and when I met Whitehall he looked like a man in his forties. Garret knew all about the serum, so when he began using the Centipede serum to keep himself alive, he added the same cocktail that Whitehall had used.”
“So, you used your mother’s DNA in that last dose,” Steve finished.
“It should have worked, I mean…on Coulson. It should have saved him,” she said, her eyes welling with emotion. There was no mistaking the guilt in her voice.
“From what we heard earlier, you gave him the opportunity to use it and he chose not to. That decision saved the world.”
She nodded. “I know, logically, I know that…but my heart just…can’t grasp it. Coulson deserved…deserves more. He’s already paid his dues. He already started his life over once. Instead of being in a computer simulated Tahiti he should have been in the real one…only on vacation, not something to cross off his bucket list.”
“And you feel guilty because you took that serum instead…” He watched as her eyes fell on the large group surrounding the fire. She didn’t say anything, but her silence spoke plenty. Her words hit home, a little too close for comfort so he changed the subject. “How are you finding the changes?”
“It’s not fun. I mean it is to a point. Seeing how fast I am and how my powers have evolved is like…mind blowing, but then sometimes I forget myself and things get messy. Sparring has become a real challenge.”
He didn’t need to ask her to clarify, he had the same issues. Sparring against Clint, Natasha and Sam was different than sparring against Bucky, Thor and Tony, when the latter was suited up. “If you’d like, I can spar with you,” he offered before he realized the words coming out of his mouth. “And Thor would be amendable as well.”
“You think so?” She asked, perking up at the idea of being able to spar and not having to worry about holding herself back.
“I know so,” he clarified. “He’s been very interested since learning about the Kree DNA.” Bruce had also been curious, but in a different way.
“I’d like that,” she admitted. “I mean sparring against you guys would really help me out. Piper and I have been running tests, but I haven’t been able to compare that particular aspect for obvious reasons.”
When the conversation fell into a lull, Steve opted for a subject change. “So, is this what it’s usually like around here?” When he saw the confusion on her face he continued. “I mean the camp fire, s’mores, music and what not?” A feeling of resentment had knotted in his chest since the fire started. He and his team had been risking their lives, he’d lost team members…friends and SHIELD was roasting marshmallows?
Her lips quirked up in amusement and she shook her head. “No,” she replied, her smile turning sad. “Ever since we’ve been back it’s been one situation after another.” Clearing her throat, she looked at the aluminum can in her hands. “I assume they told you about Fitz?” she asked, referring to her earlier exit from the meeting.
“Yes.”
“It’s been an…adjustment,” she said, “having to get used to the absences.” She may not have mourned for Fitz after his actions against her, but he’d still been a core member of the group, was once a trusted friend. Between Fitz, Coulson and May…there was a big whole within the team. “It hadn’t been an easy time. When Hunter arrived with Robin in tow without her mother, I decided to do what I could to give her ‘normal.’ Or as normal as we can, given our day to day lives.”
Listening to her reasoning, the heaviness in his chest lifted. “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I’d just assumed…” he trailed off with a sigh, embarrassed to admit what he’d thought.
Daisy looked over at him. “That we were unfeeling robots?” She supplied simply, giving him a small smile to let him know she wasn’t offended. “Maybe it is callous to try living normally when everything is still relatively fresh,” she allowed. “But she’s already been through so much in her life. I would hate for her to look back realize that on top of her childhood being robbed from her, she didn’t have one simple memory that most kids do. At least this way, she has this small memory. It may not be a big one in the grand scheme of things, but I’m trying.”
Thoroughly chastised, Steve scratched at the back of his neck. “I think I’m subconsciously looking for some place to channel my anger,” he admitted.
“Understandable,” she said simply.
Steve’s eyes traveled to the group of people that sat around the fire, focusing on the young Inhuman that Mack explained. “That’s a special little girl you guys have there.”
She nodded. “For so long she saw nothing but visions of bad things to come. We were hoping that after we averted the end of the world that she’d have a little bit of normalcy, but then everyone started disappearing. She’s drawing again and not for fun,” she shook her head. “It’s a good thing that you guys showed up. Maybe we’ll be able to come up with a solution to everything?” Her gaze focused on Ace and Robin. “You know, you’re more than welcome to join us once you finish brooding.” She wasn’t sure why she said it. She didn’t know Steve from Adam and knew he would either react favorably or she would have a serious ‘foot-in-mouth’ situation. However, she felt a sense of comradery with the Avengers. Though she and her team had never fought side by side with them, they were still brothers in arms. They’d all seen and faced their share of badness.
With a quirk of his lips, he shook his head at her. “It’s been a difficult couple of days,” he said, repeating what he’d said that morning in the hotel room.
She nodded. “It has,” Daisy easily agreed. “I hope my next words won’t offend you.”
He couldn’t help but arch his eyebrows in response. “You know, people only say that when they are about to say something incredibly nosy,” he pointed out.
The brunette nodded in response but didn’t change her mind on speaking. “You still have people here for you. Be sad and mourn for the friends you lost, but don’t forget the ones that are still here,” she said, nodding towards the group gathered around the fire pit.
“I know that,” he said quietly.
Daisy turned an appraising eye on him. “Do you?” She asked, unable to help herself. She’d seen how he interacted with his team, and other than the few times he’d shared a significant look with one of his teammates, he appeared to be pulling away from all of them. “Then why are you pulling away from them?”
“I’m not.”
“You are,” she argued simply. “And I’m not just talking about the meeting. I mean since then I’ve seen your interactions with your friends and you’re…closed off and quiet. This hardly the best time to-”
“Because what happened was my fault,” he said then. He didn’t mean to say the words, but once they were out, he couldn’t stop himself. “I was part of the last line of defense. If only I could have…held out longer, been a stronger opponent. Maybe then Wanda wouldn’t have felt the need to leave Vision’s side to help us and the stone could have been destroyed? Maybe I could have tried harder against Thanos? Maybe I should have incapacitated him in some way, buying time for Thor to reach us and stop him?”
“Or, maybe Michael Jackson could have beamed down to the battlefield singing ‘Billie Jean’ and Moonwalking,” Daisy inserted before he could say anything else. She watched as the wind was knocked out of the sails and he hesitated. “Please tell me you know who Michael Jackson is.”
His brows furrowed together, but he nodded. “I do, but why did you toss that out there?”
“I didn’t like your ‘what-ifs’ so I added my own,” she shrugged. When he continued to frown in confusion she sighed. “What happened isn’t your fault. You said it yourself, you were the last line of defense. What about those that encountered him before you? If they had been faster or stronger then you wouldn’t have been needed as the last line. The truth is, you all failed.”
Steve snorted humorlessly. “You really know how to stroke someone’s ego.” Daisy rolled her eyes. “The point is, you don’t hold it against them and they don’t hold it against you.”
Steve’s mind instantly flashed back to the Battle of New York and the parting words he’d shared with Tony.
“And what if we lose?”
“Then we’ll do that as a team too.”
“This why you shared that little story?” Steve asked then.
“In part,” she admitted. “Sometimes it’s easier to talk to someone that isn’t so close to the situation,” she shrugged. “I see you’re past the drowning your sorrows phase, but this whole…separating yourself thing isn’t any better.” She took the opportunity to look around the porch. “I can see how this could be appealing,” Daisy said when her companion remained quiet. “I mean sitting here in the dark on a chilly spring night is so much better than sitting near a warm fire, toasting marshmallows and eating s’mores…” She fell into silence then.
“I’ve never had one,” he said after a pregnant pause.
“One wh- A s’more? Ever?”
“It wasn’t like they were around before I went into the ice,” he reminded her. There’d been something similar, but not the present-day version…or if it was around back then, it wasn’t a nationwide thing.
Okay, that made sense. But he’d been awake for years now. “Still? In the time since then? Never?”
“Didn’t sound appealing, I guess.”
Daisy shook her head and stood up. “Let’s go.” When he didn’t move, she repeated herself. “Stand up, let’s go.”
“Go where?”
“We’re gonna pop your cherry,” she said, paying no mind to the words as she used her head to nod at the fire.
She was…what? He felt the heat of embarrassment spread across his cheeks and in effort to shield his reaction to her words he rubbed the back of his neck.
When he didn’t move, her attention fell on him. “Heard that before, huh?” She asked quietly, realizing she’d just embarrassed him.
He nodded. “Yeah, I think the idea of associating the word ‘cherry’ to virginity was born before I was.”
“Huh…” She said. For whatever reason, she’d assumed the adage was coined sometime during the 1950’s or 1960’s. She locked away the fact he’d just told her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you, it’s just an expression that people use if someone does something for the first time.”
“I gathered that,” he replied dryly. “I don’t need a s’more.”
“You really do,” she argued. “The fact that you’re pushing a hundred and still haven’t had one is a travesty.”
He rolled his eyes upon hearing her dramatics. “You’re kind of pushy.”
She shrugged. “Think of it as retaliation for the way you treated me the night we met,” she said sweetly. “Just…seven minutes, roast a marshmallow and eat a s’more and then…if you want, you can skulk back into the shadows and I will personally stop the next person that tries to disturb you.”
He considered just staying where he was, but he didn’t think his companion would give up so easily. “You aren’t going to let this go, are you?” He asked, staring at her.
“No.”
“Fine,” he grunted, standing up. “Seven minutes.”
Daisy easily matched his pace. “You know, I bet if you asked Clint nicely, he’d roast your marshmallow.” She said before mentally playing back her words and wincing upon hearing the completely accidental inuendo. “I mean for you…to…and I mean like…a…a real marshmallow, not…not like a word that could be construed as anything-”
“I got it,” he said, raising his voice just enough to talk over her, hoping to stop her before she made any other references or comparisons.
“Wow, talk about foot in mouth,” she muttered. He nodded.
“Twice…in the span of five minutes,” he tacked on. “You going for a record?”
Daisy pursed her lips and looked at her companion. “I lied before, I’m not really going to play body guard.” He nodded, offering her a smile. “I know.”